ʻO Bill Withers he mea mele ʻuhane ʻAmelika, haku mele a mea hoʻokani. Ua hauʻoli ʻo ia i ka kaulana nui i nā makahiki 1970 a me 1980, i ka wā i lohe ʻia kāna mau mele ma nā kihi a pau o ka honua. A i kēia lā (ma hope o ka make ʻana o ka mea pena kaulana ʻeleʻele), hoʻomau ʻia ʻo ia e manaʻo ʻia ʻo ia kekahi o nā hōkū o ka honua. Noho mau ʻo Withers i ke kiʻi o nā miliona o nā mea pā o nā mele ʻAmelika ʻAmelika, ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻuhane.
ʻO nā makahiki mua o Bill Withers
Ua hānau ʻia ka moʻolelo o ka soul blues i ka makahiki 1938 ma ke kaona liʻiliʻi o Slab Fork (West Virginia). ʻO ia ke keiki muli loa i loko o kahi ʻohana nui, ma kahi o Bill, he 5 mau kaikunāne a me nā kaikuahine.
ʻO ka makuahine o ke keikikāne, ʻo Mattie Galloway, i hana ma ke ʻano he kahu wahine, a ʻo kona makuakāne, ʻo William Users, i hana i mua o kekahi o nā mines kūloko. ʻEkolu mau makahiki ma hope o ka hānau ʻana o Billy, ua haʻalele kona mau mākua, a ua noho ke keikikāne i ka hānai ʻana o kona makuahine. I ka ʻimi ʻana i kahi ola maikaʻi aʻe, neʻe lākou i ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Beckley, kahi āna i noho ai i kona wā kamaliʻi.
I kona wā ʻōpiopio, ʻaʻole ʻokoʻa ʻo Withers me nā miliona o kona mau hoa ʻeleʻele e noho ana ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa. ʻO kāna hiʻohiʻona wale nō he stutter ikaika, i loaʻa i ke kāne mai ka hānau ʻana. E like me ka hoʻomanaʻo ʻana o ka mea mele, ua hopohopo nui ʻo ia i kāna pilikia ʻōlelo.
I ka makahiki 12, ua nalowale kona makuakāne, kahi i hōʻeha nui ai i ke kūlana o kahi ʻohana nui. Hoʻouna mau ka makua kāne i kekahi hapa o kāna loaʻa kālā i kāna wahine mua no ka mālama ʻana i nā keiki.
ʻO ka ʻōpio o ka hōkū e hiki mai ana ʻo Bill Withers
Ua hāʻule ka ʻōpio ʻo Billy i nā manawa haunaele o ka neʻe Negro (i nā makahiki 1950 ma ʻAmelika) no ko lākou pono kīwila. Akā naʻe,ʻaʻole iʻoluʻolu ke kanaka'ōpio i nā hana pilikanaka a me ka politika i hoʻopiha i kona kūlanakauhaleʻo Beckley.
Ua hoihoi ʻia e ke aloha moana, i ka makahiki 1955 ua kau inoa ʻo ia no ka ʻoihana koa ma ka US Navy, kahi āna i noho ai he 9 mau makahiki. Ma laila ʻo ia i hoihoi ai i ka mele, ʻo ia ka manawa mua i hoʻāʻo ai e kākau i kāna mau mele ponoʻī. ʻO kekahi kumu nui o kāna mau haʻawina leo, ʻo ia ka hiki ke hoʻopoina i kona ʻūhū no kekahi manawa.
ʻO ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka hana a ka mea hoʻokani pila ʻo Bill Withers
I ka makahiki 1965, ua haʻalele ʻo Withers he 26 makahiki i ka Navy a ua hoʻoholo e hoʻomaka i kahi ola kīwila. I ka wā mua, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i noʻonoʻo i kahi ʻoihana mele ke ala nui o ke ola. I ka makahiki 1967, ua neʻe ʻo ia e noho ma West Coast, ma Los Angeles. Ma kēia kūlanakauhale nui, e like me ka luina mua, ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi o ka noho ʻana ma ke ola. Ua hana kekahi kanaka ʻeleʻele ma ke ʻano he uila ma ka hale hana mokulele o ka Douglas Corporation. ʻO ka mea kūikawā i loaʻa i ka wā o ka lawelawe ma ka Navy i hiki mai i ka lima.
ʻOiai ʻaʻole i lawe nui ʻo Billy i ke mele, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i haʻalele loa. Eia kekahi, ua noho mālie kona makemake i ke mele i ka hapa nui o kona manawa kūʻokoʻa mai ka hana. Me ke kālā i mālama ʻia, ua hoʻopaʻa ʻo ia i nā cassettes demo me nā mele o kāna haku ponoʻī. E like me kēia, ua hoʻokani ʻo ia i nā hale kalapu, kahi āna i hāʻawi manuahi ai i nā cassette me nā moʻolelo no kēlā me kēia.
Ua minoʻaka ʻo Fortune i ka mea hoʻokani ʻōpio i ka makahiki 1970. A laila, ma hope o ka nānā ʻana i ke kiʻiʻoniʻoni Days of Wine and Roses, ua haku ʻo ia ʻo Ain't No Sunshine. Me kēia paʻi, i kākau ʻia ma lalo o ka mana o kahi kiʻiʻoniʻoni koʻikoʻi, ua loaʻa iā Withers ka mea kaulana. ʻO Clarence Avant, ka mea nona ka hale hoʻopaʻa leo ʻo Sussex Records, i hana nui i ka hopena o ka mea hoʻokani novice.
Ma hope o ka hoʻolohe ʻana i kekahi o nā cassette a kahi mele mele ʻeleʻele ʻike ʻole i hiki ʻole mai iā ia, ua ʻike koke ʻo ia he hōkū e hiki mai ana. ʻAʻole i liʻuliʻu, ua pūlima ʻia kahi ʻaelike ma waena o Bill a me ka hui mele e hoʻokuʻu i ka album mua a ka mea pena, ʻo Justas I Am. Akā ʻoiai ma hope o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka hui pū ʻana me Sussex Records, ka mea i hoʻohiki iā ia i ka waiwai nui, ʻaʻole i ʻaʻa ʻo Bill e haʻalele i kāna hana nui ma ke ʻano he hui ma kahi hale mokulele. Ua manaʻoʻiʻo ʻo ia he ʻoihana paʻakikī loa ka ʻoihana mele a ʻaʻole hiki ke pani i ka "hana maoli."
ʻO Bill Withers ka mea kaulana honua
I ka manawa like me ka hui pū ʻana me Sussex Records, loaʻa ʻo Bill i hoa no nā hana like ʻole a me nā hoʻopaʻa leo. Ua lilo lāua ʻo T John Booker, nāna i hele pū me Bill ma nā kī kī a me ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana i kāna album mua.
I ka makahiki 1971, ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia ʻelua mau mele ma ke ʻano he mau mele kaʻawale - Ain't No Sunshine a me Grandma's Hands. ʻO ka mua o kēia mau mele i mahalo nui ʻia e nā mele mele a me nā mea hoʻolohe. Ua kūʻai aku ka mea hoʻokahi ma luna o 1 miliona mau kope ma US wale nō. Ua loaʻa iā ia ka makana Grammy hanohano no ka Best R'n'B Hit of the Year.
ʻO kahi lanakila hou aʻe no Billy Withers ʻo ia ka Lean On Me mai Still Bill (1972). Ua ʻoi aku ke kūʻai ʻana o ka moʻolelo ma mua o 3 miliona mau kope, ʻoi aku ka paʻi ma luna o ka pakuhi Billboard no kekahi mau pule. ʻO kekahi hōʻailona o ka kaulana o ka mele "Lean on Me" - kani ia i ka hoʻolauna ʻana o ʻelua mau pelekikena ʻAmelika - B. Clinton lāua ʻo B. Obama.
I ka wā kiʻekiʻe o ka coronavirus, ua hoʻokuʻu ka poʻe ʻAmelika i kahi hoʻokaʻawale iā lākou iho i kahi mob flash kahi i hana ai lākou i ka Lean On Me ma ka pūnaewele. Ua kākau ke kaikamahine a Pelekikena Trump, ʻo Ivanka, ma kāna ʻaoʻao Twitter i kēlā manawa: "ʻO kēia ka manawa maikaʻi loa e mahalo piha ai i ka mana o kēia mele."
Nā mea hana kiʻi kiʻi
I ka makahiki 1974, ua hāʻawi ʻo Withers, me J. Brown a me BB King, i kahi ʻahamele ma ke kapikala ʻo Zaire, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia e hui pū me ka hui mōʻaukala ma ke apo o ʻelua mau mokomoko honua, ʻo Mohammed Ali lāua ʻo J. Foreman. Ua hoʻokomo ʻia ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana o kēia hana i ka kiʻiʻoniʻoni When We Were Kings, i lanakila i ka Oscar ma 1996.
I hoʻokahi makahiki ma hope mai, ua lilo koke ka inoa ʻo Sussex Records i ka panakalupa, e waiho ana i ka aie iā Withers no ke kūʻai ʻana i nā moʻolelo. Ma hope o kēlā, koi ʻia ka mea mele e neʻe ma lalo o nā ʻēheu o kahi lepili moʻolelo ʻē aʻe, ʻo Columbia Records.
I loko o kēia studio i ka makahiki 1978, ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia ka album aʻe o ka soul star Menagerie. Ma ke mele ʻo Lovely Day mai kēia album, ua hoʻonohonoho ʻo Bill i kahi moʻolelo no nā mea leo. Ua paʻa ʻo ia i hoʻokahi leka no 18 kekona. Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia kēia moʻolelo ma 2000 wale nō e ka mea mele o ka hui a-ha.
I ka makahiki 1980, ua loaʻa hou iā Withers kekahi lanakila. Ua hoʻokuʻu ka studio recording Elektra Records i ka mea hoʻokahi Just the Two of Us, mahalo i loaʻa i ka mea hoʻokani pila i ka makana Grammy lua. I kēia manawa, ua emi nā pilina me Columbia Records.
Ua hoʻopiʻi ka mea mele iā ia no ka hoʻopaneʻe ʻana i ka hana ma nā album hou. Ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia ka hōʻiliʻili hou aʻe i ka makahiki 1985 a ua hōʻailona ʻia e ka "hane" nui, ua loaʻa i nā loiloi maikaʻi ʻole mai ka poʻe hoʻohewa. A laila ua hoʻoholo ka mea hoʻokani mele 47 makahiki e haʻalele i kāna ʻoihana pop.
ʻO ke ola o Bill Withers ma hope o ke kahua nui
Ua mālama ʻo Withers i kāna ʻōlelo, ʻaʻole i hoʻi hou i ke kahua nui. Akā ʻaʻole hiki ke ʻōlelo ʻia e pili ana i kāna mau hana. Ke hoʻomau nei nā mele a ka mea mele ʻuhane kaulana i kēia lā. Hoʻokomo ʻia lākou i loko o ka repertoire o nā hōkū honua e hana ana i ka jazz, soul, a me nā mele pop, e hāʻawi ana i ke kahua ākea loa no ka hoʻomohala ʻana.
Ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia kahi palapala e pili ana iā Withers i ka makahiki 2009. I loko o ia mea, ua ʻike ʻia ʻo ia i mua o ke anaina ma ke ʻano he kanaka hauʻoli. Wahi a ia, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i mihi i ka haʻalele ʻana i ke kahua. I ka makahiki 2015, no ka hoʻohanohano ʻana i ka makahiki 30 o kona haʻalele ʻana mai ke kahua, ua hoʻokomo ʻia ʻo Withers i ka Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ua male ʻelua ʻo Bill i kona ola. ʻO ka male pōkole mua ma 1973 me kahi mea hoʻokani sitcom. Akā ma lalo o hoʻokahi makahiki ma hope mai, ua haʻalele ka male ma hope o ka hoʻopiʻi ʻana o ka wahine ʻōpio iā Withers no ka hana ʻino home. Ua male hou ka mea mele i ka makahiki 1976. Ua hānau kāna wahine hou ʻo Marcia i ʻelua keiki nāna, he keikikāne ʻo Todd, a he kaikamahine ʻo Corey. I ka wā e hiki mai ana, ua lilo ʻo ia, e like me nā keiki, i mea kōkua kokoke iā Withers, e lawe ana i ka hoʻokele o nā hale paʻi puke ma Los Angeles.
Ua make ka mea hoʻokani kaulana ʻAmelika i Malaki 2020 mai ka puʻuwai puʻuwai. Ua hoʻolaha ʻia kona make ʻana i ka lehulehu i ʻehā lā ma hope mai. Ua kanu ʻia ʻo Withers ma Hollywood Hills Memorial Cemetery, kokoke i Los Angeles.
